The present invention relates to the use of a label bearing indicia encoded for automatic pricing to connect two separate cartons, in particular, cigarette cartons, to form a combined dual carton, the indicia being positioned such that the code is rendered unreadable when the two cartons are separated.
Cigarette packs (which usually contain twenty cigarettes) are generally rectangular in shape, having front and back long walls and two short side walls. Cigarette cartons typically contain two rows of five cigarette packs per row (each row arranged so that the front long walls of the packs are in the same plane and the back long walls are in a parallel plane spaced from the front long walls), and are generally known in the art as ten-pack cartons. Such cigarette cartons are generally filled with cigarette packs by the manufacturer, temporarily closed (e.g., by folding the top flap of the carton over the box and releasably securing the flap in the closed position), and shipped to various distributors. The distributors generally open the cartons, after they are received, to apply any tax stamp that may be required by the jurisdiction in which they operate to the individual cigarette packs inside the cartons. Such procedures are commonly automated to reduce time, cost, and labor through the use of specially designed machines for applying tax stamps. Tax-stamping machines have been developed to open the cartons, apply the stamps, and finally seal the cartons for distribution. Such machines are generally commercially available, and are well known in the art. These machines have been developed for standard ten-pack cigarette cartons. A typical tax-stamping machine is model FUSON manufactured by Meyercord Co. of 365 East North Avenue, Carol Stream, Ill. 60187.
Single row cigarette cartons which are dimensioned to contain one row of five cigarette packs (each pack usually containing twenty cigarettes, the packs arranged so that the front long walls of the packs are in the same plane and the back long walls are in a parallel plane spaced from the front long walls), i.e., five-pack cartons, are also known in the art. However, although machinery exists for manufacturing such cartons, machinery does not exist for stamping the cigarette packs contained in five-pack cartons. Consequently, such single row cartons must either be hand-stamped (as is done currently) or would have to be secured together in pairs to be run through the existent tax-stamping equipment. To assure that the tax stamp is properly registered, the means for securing the cartons must be strong enough to keep the cartons together such that they are not sheared apart by the vertical rollers of the tax-stamping machines which roll along the vertical walls of the cartons to transfer the cartons between the various stages of the process.
If two single row cartons are to be secured together, the means for securement must allow for later separation of the cartons, if desired, by the retailer or consumer. For marketing purposes, once separated, the two cartons should have little or no trace of the means for securement which would disfigure the outward appearance of the cartons.
In order to facilitate automatic pricing, indicia encoded for automatic pricing of the dual carton are generally included on an outer face of the cartons to be scanned by automatic pricing equipment. Each carton is also usually priced for individual sale. The use of such automatic pricing indicia often presents several difficulties. When two narrow cartons, each coded for individual sale, are connected, an automatic scanner may scan both prices thereby charging the price of two cartons If the price of the combined carton is to be less than the price of two cartons sold together, the customer may be overcharged if the automatic scanner scans both price codes instead of the reduced price. Furthermore, if the automatic scanner only scans one price code, the retailer/wholesaler has undercharged. If a label bearing indicia coded for the price of the combined carton is placed on the combined carton, the label may still be readable if the cartons are separated for individual sale and the customer may be charged the price of the combined carton instead of the individual carton The scanner may also register both the combined price and the individual price, thereby overcharging the customer.